East Maitland Dance Headquarters has secured an invitation to perform and learn in New York after impressing judges and snatching numerous titles at a dance competition in Canberra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
EMDHQ competed in the Kids Artistic Revue Convention in Canberra from October 9 to 11.
The industry event is designed to help talent scouts scour the ranks of smaller dance studios. This was the first KAR venture to Australia and EMDHQ made it onto the podium 16 times, with commendations ranging from best costume to best routine across multiple categories.
Dance dad Jason Purcell said the dedication of the young dancers and their coach Pam Cramp helped them stand out when they competed against much larger studios.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than this, it’s massive,” he said.
“And for a small studio like ours, it’s really impressive to go up against big Sydney studios and come away with this recognition.”
The studio will need to raise approximately $60,000 to send its 20 dancers to the series of workshops in the United States next July.
The dancers will also visit Broadway and train with the famous Rockettes precision dance company.
The first drop in the fundraising bucket came when EMDHQ won prizemoney at the Canberra competition.
But the troupe reduced one judge to tears when they donated the money to the dance industry charity, Circle of Hope.
Mr Purcell said the studio taught his daughter Brooke more than dance, it gave her a sense of community and social responsibility.
“This year the studio has really bonded, we had to move studio and the new place flooded,” he said.
“We’ve had personal losses in the group and that’s where Circle of Hope came into it for the girls.”
“It’s about clapping for the other studios and being involved, it’s a family here.”
The studio will host numerous fundraisers throughout the year and is calling for donations for the trip to be made through www.gofundme.com/emdhq
